by our College Data Analytics TeamHere’s the full picture on paying for University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, covering the cost range, projected degree costs, net price, debt at graduation, default rates, and aid distribution patterns.
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The full cost of attending University of Arkansas-Fort Smith ranged from $18,052.00 ranging to $22,900.00 across residency tiers.
In-state students paid the lower published figure, while out-of-state students faced the higher one: roughly $18,052.00 in-state, rising to $22,900.00 for those paying out-of-state rates.
Here the cost is broken out three ways: no aid, average aid, and the aid a low-income student typically receives.
| Tuition and fees | $7,334.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $10,718.00 |
| Total cost | $18,052.00 |
| That is 6% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $18,052.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,474.00 |
| Net price | $9,578.00 |
| That is 50% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $18,052.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,158.00 |
| Net price | $7,894.00 |
| That is 59% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $12,182.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $10,718.00 |
| Total cost | $22,900.00 |
| That is 19% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $22,900.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,474.00 |
| Net price | $14,426.00 |
| That is 25% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $22,900.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,158.00 |
| Net price | $12,742.00 |
| That is 34% below the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on tuition and fees and living costs. |
The tables below project a full degree at the current published cost. The detailed projections below compare a degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and a no-aid student. Loan figures amortise the projected total over ten years at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $7,894.00 | $9,578.00 | $18,052.00 |
| Senior year | $7,894.00 | $9,578.00 | $18,052.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $31,576.00 | $38,312.00 | $72,208.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $12,029.00 | $14,595.00 | $27,509.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $363.00 | $441.00 | $831.00 |
| Total amount paid | $43,605.00 | $52,907.00 | $99,717.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $7,894.00 | $9,578.00 | $18,052.00 |
| Senior year | $7,894.00 | $9,578.00 | $18,052.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $15,788.00 | $19,156.00 | $36,104.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $6,015.00 | $7,298.00 | $13,754.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $182.00 | $220.00 | $415.00 |
| Total amount paid | $21,803.00 | $26,454.00 | $49,858.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $12,742.00 | $14,426.00 | $22,900.00 |
| Senior year | $12,742.00 | $14,426.00 | $22,900.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $50,968.00 | $57,704.00 | $91,600.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $19,417.00 | $21,983.00 | $34,896.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $587.00 | $664.00 | $1,054.00 |
| Total amount paid | $70,385.00 | $79,687.00 | $126,496.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Freshman year | $12,742.00 | $14,426.00 | $22,900.00 |
| Senior year | $12,742.00 | $14,426.00 | $22,900.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $25,484.00 | $28,852.00 | $45,800.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $9,708.00 | $10,992.00 | $17,448.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $293.00 | $332.00 | $527.00 |
| Total amount paid | $35,192.00 | $39,844.00 | $63,248.00 |
| Read more in the Net Price section. |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published sticker price. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $10,574.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $10,097.00 |
Net price varies sharply by family income, dropping as need-based aid grows. The table below shows the average net price by family-income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $8,450.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $9,256.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $11,856.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $13,295.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $13,335.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
For the grant-and-scholarship detail behind these figures, see the grants & scholarships detail.
The median graduating debt at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith amounts to $10,750.00, which federal data classifies as a Low ($10-20k) burden category.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $1,993.00 |
| 25th | $3,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $10,750.00 |
| 75th | $16,078.00 |
| 90th | $28,332.00 |
The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is one signal of how variable debt outcomes are across the student body.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt page.
Student debt at graduation is not evenly distributed across income levels. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,965.00 |
| Middle income | $10,250.00 |
| High income | $11,000.00 |
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $10,750.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,813.00 |
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith comes to $2,500.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The federal default-rate classification for University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 19.7% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith come to $247,048,915.00 spread across 16,176 student borrowers.
Veteran and active-military students often access dedicated federal aid programs like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 71 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $4,848.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 7 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $1,901.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the college veterans page.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, keep these questions in mind:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.